Ken Cuccinelli won’t sign no-tax oath

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli will not sign the famed Americans for Tax Reform pledge against raising taxes, his campaign told POLITICO – a surprise move for a gubernatorial candidate known for his down-the-line conservatism.

The presumptive Republican nominee for governor indicated in a private meeting with business leaders in Tuesday that he is not inclined to take the no-tax oath, sources said.

Text Size

-

+

reset

BTC: Obama's tax problem

Cuccinelli’s campaign confirmed he will not sign the ATR pledge and explained Cuccinelli has settled on a blanket no-pledge policy for the campaign: he will not sign make any similar commitments to other special interest groups.

A Cuccinelli spokesman said the decision not to adopt the ATR pledge – which is closely associated with the group’s president, Grover Norquist – shouldn’t be taken as a sign he plans to raise taxes.

“Ken Cuccinelli agrees with the principles of Americans for Tax Reform and keeping taxes low. However, it’s our policy to not sign campaign pledges,” said Jahan Wilcox, communications director for the Cuccinelli campaign.

That’s the same message Cuccinelli conveyed to Northern Virginia executives at the closed-door session Tuesday evening, according to one attendee.

“He clarified that he wasn’t signing any pledges,” the source said. “He was committed to not raising taxes, but he’s not going to sign any pledge.”

Cuccinelli has assembled an anti-tax record in state government. He recently opposed a transportation plan, cut by Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell and the state legislature, which raised some taxes as part of a larger revenue deal to fund mass transit.

The Fairfax Republican has repeatedly signaled, publicly and privately, that he aims to tackle tax reform as governor. In theory, a plan that reshapes the larger tax system could run afoul of the narrowly constructed language of the ATR pledge.

Cuccinelli has not yet proposed a tax reform plan, but again hinted at his intention to do so in a campaign email Wednesday.